"So fast!" Amon said, a smirk curling his lips. Just a few months ago, he could scarcely have imagined such monumental changes sweeping the world, let alone that he'd be one of the key figures driving them.
For Amon, it was almost too unbelievable to fathom.
Yet it had happened, like a miracle.
Or rather, it was a miracle... a miracle brought about by a monster.
"Are you secretly badmouthing me in your head?"
A familiar voice sounded nearby. Amon turned to see the expected figure, and with a leisurely motion, he adjusted the monocle on his face, smiling. "Just pondering some facts."
With a teasing smile, Amon countered, "Aren't you a monster who brings miracles?"
"Getting bolder, huh? Clearly, I haven't beaten you enough lately," Alaric said, though he wasn't the least bit angry. In truth, he rarely got upset over what others called him.
Alaric barely spared Amon much attention, his focus drawn instead to the unfolding battle.
As Alaric assessed the rebel army's progress, a spatial ripple appeared, and this time, it was Medici who emerged.
Compared to before, Medici now carried an air of exhilaration, his smile tinged with unrestrained glee. Scanning the battlefield, he quickly grasped the situation and seamlessly took command from his adjutant, personally steering the war toward its conclusion.
While Medici led the rebels, Amon and Alaric crouched off to the side, spectating. The battlefield neither required nor suited their direct involvement.
After all, some tasks were best left to mortals to complete. As a general, Medici could take charge, but they couldn't.
"No surprise you won," Amon said, producing a bag of seeds from somewhere and munching on them. "What I'm curious about is... did Cheek die?"
"Gimme some," Alaric said, unceremoniously grabbing half the seeds from Amon's bag before answering. "Dead, for sure, but probably not completely. The Demoness Pathway is notorious for its resilience. Still, we've secured her Uniqueness and Sequence 1 characteristics. Even if she revives, she'll be a Sequence 2 at best... hardly a threat."
That was the truth. With The Ancient Sun God's direct intervention and Farbauti's betrayal, the Primordial Demoness and Tudor, that deranged duo, had undeniably lost.
But even The Ancient Sun God couldn't fully guard against a Sequence 0's revival contingencies. High-Sequence beings in this world were notoriously hard to kill, and at Sequence 0, few ever died completely.
Take a certain God of Combat, for instance. Alaric wasn't unaware of potential revival plans but chose not to pursue them.
Though it was uncertain whether the Primordial Demoness would return, Alaric had secured the Demoness Pathway's Uniqueness and three Sequence 1 characteristics.
Yes, they were in Alaric's possession, entrusted to him for safekeeping.
This was mainly because Alaric didn't want Medici to become a Calamity of Destruction, and Medici himself wasn't particularly eager for it. Since Alaric opposed it, he didn't push for it either.
After the Primordial Demoness's fall, the Devil Monarch Farbauti made an arrangement with Alaric for a later meeting and departed. Farbauti was in poor condition; this intervention had already pushed him to his limits.
As for the great terror deep within the Mirror World, Alaric and The Ancient Sun God had dealt with it, ensuring no issues would arise.
Hearing Alaric's response, Amon seemed to chuckle, remarking wistfully, "She probably never imagined it would end like this."
"The truth is, with or without me, the Primordial Demoness was doomed to fail. Failure was her only outcome," Alaric said, shaking his head with a smile. "So, the lesson here is: don't be too unhinged. Don't go trying to destroy the world at every turn, or you'll end up as a boss for others to farm."
"You've got some nerve saying that," Medici said, appearing beside them after finishing his command of the battlefield. He shot Alaric a glance, then snatched a handful of seeds from Amon without hesitation. "When it comes to destroying the world, someone's an expert... at least verbally."
"How is that the same?" Alaric protested. "They're all about dragging the world down if they can't rule it. I'm different. I have no interest in ruling the world... I just pursue what I want. And unless it's absolutely necessary, I'm not out to destroy anything."
"Hmph!" Medici let out a cryptic laugh.
"No choice... sunk cost is too high," Alaric said, spreading his hands candidly. "Destroying the world would mean turning against all my friends... you, Klein, Grisha, Azik…"
He listed the names of those close to him one by one, then sighed. "You've got me trapped, you know... with those bonds, that humanity, those precious memories."
Medici's lips twitched upward slightly. Then, with a lazy drawl, he said, "Since you're trapped, just be a good consul and stop daydreaming about going crazy."
"Well…" Alaric blinked, neither agreeing nor refusing.
Amon adjusted his monocle and asked seriously, "Why only Lil' Amon?"
When Alaric listed his "menu" of friends, he'd mentioned Lil' Amon but not Amon himself.
"Because I figured you wouldn't fight me to the death over me destroying the world?" Alaric said, stroking his chin with a stereotyped response.
"Prejudice," Amon replied, gazing at the rebel army, which had planted a blue flag emblazoned with a star and moon on the opposing city walls. Lost in thought for a moment, he finally said, "I still don't understand why my father would give everything for this world, or what courage and sacrifice mean…"
Amon paused, then turned to Alaric. "But at the very least, for my father's sake, I'll try to protect this world."
Alaric met his gaze, looking into those pure black eyes, and suddenly grinned, clapping like an enthusiastic seal. "Not bad!"
"Amon, you're ready to graduate!"
The Angel of Time, who once cared nothing for humanity... perhaps even disdained it... had clearly come to understand what it meant to be human.
Even if his humanity wasn't as noble or radiant as The Ancient Sun God's, it was humanity nonetheless.
"I think I'm still far from graduating," Amon said, adjusting his monocle and smiling at Alaric. "I've got a lot more to learn from you, Teacher."
"Actually, I'd prefer if you called me Seventh Dad," Alaric said with a grin.
Amon's hand froze.
Maybe it's time to give Lil' Amon another beating.
***
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